Posted on 06/11/2008 4:59:04 PM PDT by blam
Nepal celebrates as former king evicted from palace
By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent
Last Updated: 11:16PM BST 11/06/2008
Nepal's former king has been evicted from his palace as his former subjects revelled in the loss of his dignity and the opening of his secrets.
Gyanendra loses his £1.5 million annual allowance and 600 staff
The country was declared a republic two weeks ago and Gyanendra – now Mr Shah – was told to pack his bags and leave. In his final public act before leaving the palace, he addressed the nation on television.
"I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people," the ex- king said, sitting in a chair surrounded by two stuffed tigers and a rhino's head.
"I have no intention of leaving the country and will stay in Nepal and contribute to the independence and prosperity of the Nepali nation."
He also referred to the palace massacre which catapulted him to the throne in 2001, when his nephew Crown Prince Dipendra killed his brother King Birendra and eight other relatives in a drunken rage before turning the gun on himself.
Because Gyanendra benefited from the crime many Nepalis claim he was somehow responsible, although there is no evidence he was involved.
"In 2001 I did not even get to mourn the deaths of my brother and sister-in-law and my nephews and nieces," he said. "The accusations that were targeted against us were inhuman."
"The crown and sceptre used by the Shah dynasty, I have given to the Nepal government," he told the country.
The head of the government committee charged with auditing royal property, Govinda Kusum, said his team would certify that the diamond and ruby encrusted artifacts had not been substituted for fakes.
It was one among many affronts to the once rigid dignity of a man who seized absolute power in 2005, before being forced to surrender it following massive street protests a year later.
His enemies in the democratic parties, and Maoist rebels who had fought a bloody 10-year insurgency to abolish the monarchy, signed a peace deal and his fate was sealed by elections in April this year.
His £1.5 million annual allowance, and those of 16 other former royals, has been abolished. He has lost the services of 600 domestic staff.
His temporary new home will be a former royal hunting lodge on a forested hill outside the capital. It is on loan from the government, which nationalised it in August, until he finds a new place of his own.
Earlier this week journalists tramped around his new bedroom, taking photographs.
A source close to the family told The Daily Telegraph that relatives are privately furious with Gyanendra for presiding over the demise of the 239-year-old dynasty and the loss of their privileges. Many are considering leaving the country, the source said.
However Gyanendra was able to win some concessions. His 80-year-old stepmother and the 94-year-old former concubine of his grandfather, have been allowed to remain in their homes on the palace compound.
They are all that remains of the royal court, living in the midst of a complex that will become a museum.
Although he denied it in his address, Gyanendra is believed to be a rich man. He is estimated to have £100 million worth of investments in Nepali businesses ranging from hotels to cigarette factories, as well as significant assets abroad.
The government will now attempt to trace the royal assets, as well as a trove of historical documents, secret treaties and fabled ritual objects which are reputed to be inside the palace but have not yet been discovered.
MAN what with Sally Jessy Rapheal glasses LOL!
"Ex-king?"
Oh, that's gotta suck.
No, not good at all.
Net no gain
Not gonna look good on his resume.
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